


Danny’s 20th Birthday

by 28_Characters_Later



Category: Left 4 Dead, Left 4 Dead 2
Genre: M/M, Memories and a little backstory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-10
Updated: 2015-05-10
Packaged: 2018-03-29 19:54:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3908560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/28_Characters_Later/pseuds/28_Characters_Later
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Have an adorable story where Danny and Hank go visit Danny's mother for Danny's 20th birthday and he has a little flashback to when he first ran back into his parents after he was infected. First written in early June of last year. This was back when I used to have my infected docile for no reason, I’ve actually long since changed that but I still liked this.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Danny’s 20th Birthday

“Why do we have to go again?” Hank asked Danny, watching as the other fixed his shaggy brown hair, washed any blood off his hands and face, and tucked his multiple mutation tongues into his stained shirt. There was nothing he could do about the facial and arm boils, but he still tried to wash them.

“Because it’s my birthday and she’s my mom. I’m sure if I ask nicely she can send him off to go do something,” Danny replied after pulling his actual tongue back into his mouth to a more normal length, similar to a lizard or a frog. Making a dissatisfied face he pulled that shirt off and rummaged around for a cleaner one making a small pile of rejects before settling on a passably clean dark grey t-shirt.

“Why don’t you just tell her fully about what he used to do? Then you’d never have to see him,” Hank replied, feeling compelled to notice his own stained orange hoodie and messy blonde hair because of how much detail the other was putting into trying to clean himself up.

“I don’t… I just don’t want mom to have to be alone out here. There aren’t a lot of survivors anymore.”

“If you say so,” Hank sighed. “So, ready to go?”

Danny grabbed his notepad and pens, before nodding. As the two headed out Danny smiled down fondly at his notepad. It was the only way he could communicate with non-infected and just looking at it triggered his memory of when he first was given the little pad. As the two walked Danny got lost in his memory in the form of a flashback.

…

In the memory, Danny hesitantly explored the area. Now that he was finally out of the labs he thought it would at least be good to learn the area he would be living in. As he wandered, he soon came to a boarded-up house. The infected brunette remembered seeing the labs boarded up like that; windows and doors leaving just one accessible. It had to mean there might be people there too. As Danny surveyed the house, a female and male pair of non-infected exited to check a few traps and add a few more boards to the windows.

There was… something about them. He couldn’t put his finger on it which annoyed him. The infection making his brain foggy. Watching them from what he figured was a safe distance, he wondered why they seemed so familiar.

Danny started thinking of the one female scientist who had taken care of him in the labs: how she would always remind him about things he had told her before he had turned, and how she told him about his own life stories to help him keep some of his memories. While he was trying to think, he wandered closer trying to get a better look at the two. The infected boy was snapped out of his blurry thoughts when he suddenly heard a voice.

“Dammit, it’s one of those ugly-ass infected.” Danny quickly started backing up as he watched the man of the two grab a gun. He hadn’t meant to go right up to the house while trying to think.

“Tom, wait,” the woman said, heading closer to the retreating infected. “You look kinda like… my little Danny...” Danny’s single yellow eye quickly darted to her when he heard his name. He knew it was his name. It was what the female scientist had called him repeatedly whenever she was around him. It had to be his name.

With Danny’s face looking right at her, the woman was able to have a good look at him, even though his skin was a pale green, and had boils covering half of his face. From the side of his face that could be seen, she was certain now. He wasn’t backing away anymore so she took a few steps closer. “…Danny? Danny is that you sweetheart?”

Danny liked the gentle and smooth sound of her voice. It made him feel less nervous and was very familiar. He had a thought flash in his foggy mind of the same woman reading to him. He was snapped out of the memory when he was suddenly aware she was cupping the boil free side of his face, before pulling him into a hug.

“Mandy! Don’t get close to it like that!” Tom called from behind.

Mandy ignored him while pulling back from the hug to look at Danny’s face again. “Sweetie, I’m so glad you’re alive, I just wish…This, hadn’t happened to you.” She stroked his cheek with her thumb. “I’d ask how you’ve been doing, but I don’t think you’d be able to talk with that...” she gestured to the long tongue hanging out of his mouth. He looked down, curling the tongue up slightly to look at it. Dropping it back down he shook his head, he was able to talk to other infected around the tongue, but forming regular words around it would be too difficult.

Mandy leaned back a bit to study her son while she lightly stroked her chin with her index finger and thumb. After a moment she took her son’s hand and pulled him towards the door. She had an idea.

“You can’t seriously be bringing one of those things into the safe-house!” a bewildered Tom shouted, eyeing the woman in disbelief.

“He’s our son, Tom, plus he’s not reacting hostilely.” Mandy had Danny sit down at the table in the safe-house, put some paper down, and handed over a pencil. “Maybe if you can’t speak, you can still write?” Danny tried to grab the pencil but only managed to drop it, giving a frustrated sigh through his nose. “Well,” Mandy picked it back up. “It’ll be like when you were younger and trying to first learn. Here, try to hold it like this.” She demonstrated by holding it in a full fist, rather than with just the normal three fingers. Danny nodded and reached again for the pencil, he struggled at first but managed to keep from dropping it. “Good job, Danny. Before trying to write right away let’s do some practice to just draw on the paper, to get you used to just that for now.”

…

Back in the present, Hank had long since noticed Danny seemed to be off in his own little world. “Danny? Hey, Danny hellooooo?” he called, shaking Danny slightly by the shoulder.

Blinking and shaking his head a little to clear his thoughts, Danny was snapped out of his memory. “Huh? S-Sorry.” His face dusted in a light blush from embarrassment for having zoned out in his memories.

Hank laughed a little and gave his boyfriend a playful nudge. “It’s all right, just glad you’ve rejoined us on earth again.” Danny tugged the hood on Hank’s hoodie further down over his face, which only made the other laugh some more. “C’mon, space cadet. I’m sure your mom’s waiting.” Hank gripped one of Danny’s hands lacing their fingers as they headed the rest of the way to the safe-house.

Once they were there Danny’s mother pulled him into a hug before he was even able to scribble a messy ‘Hi Mom’ on the notepad.

“My sweet boy is 20. Or I should rather say my sweet young man is 20.” Once she let go she gave a quick but warm hug to Hank as well. “It’s good to see you too, Hank.” She then started heading back inside. “C’mon in, I’ve been making something special for Danny’s birthday. It took a while to find all the stuff and make sure nothing was expired.” Mandy headed back inside gesturing for the two to follow her inside.

Hank, a little skeptical about heading inside a closed up house with non-infected, first sniffed around a little. His strain of the infection heightened a few of his senses, so he would often smell first before entering someplace. Hank could smell a small fire, cooking meat, and something sweet-maybe sugar? Either way it all smelled really nice, so he rushed inside followed quickly by Danny.


End file.
